Adjustable caster



W. A. CLAASSEN. ADJUSTABLE CASTER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 24, 1921.

Patented Aug. 2; 1921.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ADJUSTABLE CASTER.

Application filed March 24, 1921.

T 0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I WILLIAM A. CLAASSEN, a citizen of'the UmtedStates,residing at Fond du Lac, in the county of Fond du Lac, and State ofWisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inAdjustable Casters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and comparativelyinexpensive caster adapted for use in connection with various articlesof furniture and particularly of heavy furniture, such as tables,pianos, bureaus, chiffonniers and the like and also adapted for use inconnection with lighter articles such as chairs, stools, etc., andadapted for respective adjustment to provide for the leveling of thearticle of furniture in connection with which they may be used,

to compensate for unevennesses of the floor or surface upon which thearticle rests or irregularities in the construction of the article offurniture; and furthermore to provide for an adjustment of each oastorwith the minimum of effort and without calling for the use of tools orthe exercise of any particular skill, to the end that the adjustment maybe made from time to time as the conditions under which the furnituremay be used should require; and with these objects in view the inventionconsists in a construction, combination and relation of parts of which apreferred embodiment is shown.

' in the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side view of a caster embodymg the invention, the samebeing shown witha foot of the roller type.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of a caster having a foot or shoe of thesliding type.

Fig. '3 is a vertical central sectional view of the same.

Fig. 4c is a face view of one of the mem' bers of the adjusting wedge.

The shoe or foot of the caster which is indicated generally at 10, andwhich may be of any preferred construction, form or type, to suit thecharacter of the furniture in connection with which the device is to beused or the character of the floor or surface or carpeting upon which itis to be used, is provided with a stem or spindle 11 upon which ismovably fitted a bearing sleeve 12 mounted for sliding and revol hleSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 2, 1921.

Serial No. 455,048.

movement and permanently associated with the spindle or stem toconstitute in connection therewith the shank for removably engaging andfitting in the socket member 13 which is driven into a suitable bore inthe leg 14 of the furniture. In practice the socket member preferablyconsists of a terminally split and compressible sleeve 15 provided atits lower end-with a bearing disk 16 adapted for contact with the bottomend surface of the furniture leg and having an upwardly directed spurredor serrated flange 18 to be driven into the material of the furnitureleg to secure the same in place.

The stem or spindle and the bearing sleeve, serving jointly, as aboveindicated, to form the shank of the caster respectively carry thecomplemental members 20 and 21 of a wedge block having cotiperatingbeveled faces 20 and 21 adapted for arrangement in contact and disposedspirally with relation to the axis or length of the stem or spindle, sothat as the members of said block are turned with reference to eachother in one direction or the other, the bearing sleeve is movedlongitudinally on the stem or spindle to either extend or reduce thelength of the shank. The beveled or spiral faces of said members of thewedge block are also preferably toothed or serrated as indicated toinsure the locking of said members in their adjusted relation, and aspring 22 is interposed between a terminal head 23 on the stem orspindle and a shoulder 24 in the bore of the bearing sleeve, toyieldingly hold said interlocking faces of the members of the wedgeblock in engagement.

hen it is desired therefore to adjust the caster constructed asdescribed, and requiring either lengthening or shortening in order tosecure a leveling of the article of furniture or a proper bearing of allof the casters upon the supporting Surface such as the floor, it isonlynecessary to move the bearing sleeve relative to the stem or-spindlein opposition to .the resistance, ofiered by the spring 22, to therebydisengage the interlocked faces of said members and ermit the turningmovement of the sleeve an the mem ber attached thereto, to vary thepositions of the serrated faces and hence either shorten or lengthen theshank or vary the position of the upper surface of the wedge member 20which is carried by the bearing sleeve with relation to the plane of thefoot or shoe on the caster, it being obvious that the bearing disk atthelower end of the socket member which is secured in the leg of thearticle of furniture, rests upon said upper surface of the wedge member20.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs; 1 and 3, thefoot or shoe is of the roller type as indicatedat mounted in a fork 26,which is swiveled on the lower end of the spindle or stem with anadjacent anti-friction bearing provided by the disks 27 and 28 and theinterposed bearing balls 29; but as indicated in Fig. 2 the adjustablestructure is equallyapplicable to other forms of caster shoes or feet asfor example the glass or porcelain glider 30 which under some conditionsis preferred to the roller.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is 2- 1. A casterhaving a spindle, a bearing member movably fitted thereon, means to varythe height of the bearing member on the spindle through movement of thebearing member relatively to the spindle, and means to urge said spindleand bearing member into coupled relation.

2. A caster having a stem or spindle and; a tubular bearing sleevemovably fitted thereon and combining therewith to form a caster shankfor engagement with a suit able socket, said stem and sleeve being pro-WILLIAM A. GLAASSEN,

Witnesses:

H. A. WEHDE, V. V.'QUADE.

